Photos of Gilgit & Baltistan

This page contains beautiful photos (Pics) of lakes, mountains and valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan Province of Pakistan.

Cycling to the Extreme North

Two PAF officers, Air Commodore (Retd) Qaiser Tufail and Wing Commander Shahid Dad (Retd), both Course mates, undertook an expedition to reach Pakistan’s extreme North part (Killik Pass) on bikes. See more details of the expedition and picturesque scenes of Northern parts of Pakistan here… Cycling to the Extreme North

PIA Plane Parked at Skardu Airport

Restaurant in an Aircraft at Shangrila Resort. This restaurant, established in the fuselage of DC-3 aircraft, is a part of Shangrila Resort. This unique restaurant is one of its kind. This airplane crash landed on the riverbed and was brought to the present site in the 50′s. The code name of original DC-3 aircraft was Alpha Alpha Foxtrot (AAF).

Shangrila Resort, near Skardu. Shangrila Resort is located at a drive of 20 minutes from Skardu. From Islamabad there is a daily Boeing 737 flight, which takes 45 minutes to reach Skardu. One can also travel by road from Islamabad to Skardu on the famous Karakoram Highway (KKH).A new road has also opened through the Kaghan Valley over the Babusar pass and joins KKH at Chilas.

Shangrila Resort Hotel, (founded by the late Brig.(Retd) Muhammad Aslam Khan, the first commander of the Northern Scouts who liberated the Northern areas in 1948). was established in 1983 and was named “HEAVEN ON EARTH” because of its spectacular view and serene atmosphere. Shangrila was named after a book titled “LOST HORIZON” by James Hilton. It is a fictious tale in which an aeroplane crash landed near a riverbed, in the early 1920′s. The surviving passengers were taken by Buddhist monks to a beautiful lamasery filled with a variety of fruits and flowers. The monks looked quite young, although they claimed to be hundreds of years old. The idyllic place was called Shangrila,a Chinese word meaning” HEAVEN ON EARTH”.

A Short Video about Shangrila Resort. Please watch this 90 second video about the beauty of the place.

Shangrila Lake, near Skardu. Shangrila Lake or Lower Kachura Lake is a part of the Shangrila resort located at a drive of about 20 minutes from Skardu town.

A View of Shangrila, near Skardu

Satpara Lake, near Skardu. Satpara Lake, elevation of 8,650 feet (2,636 m), is located near Skardu and supplies water to Skardu Valley.

A View of Skardu Town. Skardu is the capital of Skardu District in Gilgit–Baltistan Province. It is accessible by road and air from Islamabad. The road route is via the Karakorum Highway and a link road into the Skardu Valley from it. There are one or two daily flights of PIA between Skardu and Islamabad.

A View of Domial Lake, near Skardu

Gilgit. Gilgit is the capital of Gilgit–Baltistan Province (Previously known as Northern Areas). The road travel from Islamabad to Gilgit through Karakoram Highway (KKH) takes about 116 -20 hours. Gilgit is located 10 km off the KKH. It is also connected by air with Islamabad. Gilgit city is a hot spot for mountaineering expeditions arriving in Gilgit–Baltistan. The other hub is Skardu. There are many spots of tourist interest near Gilgit, namely Naltar Valley, Naltar Peak, Hunza Valley, Nagar Valley, Ferry Meadows, Haramosh Peak, Bagrot-Haramosh Valley, Deosai National Park, Astore Valley, Rama Lake, Yasin Valley and Kargan Valley. See Gilgit Bazaar in a Photo taken by Hassan Nazir Malhi, Sep 2011.

A PIA Plane Parked at Gilgit Airport

A View of Gilgit Airport Terminal and Control Tower from the Cockpit of a Plane. Photo courtesy Kaisar Khan, www.historyofpia,com

Gilgit River. Photo by Hassan Nazir Malhi, Sep 2011.

Other Bank of Gilgit River. Photo by Hassan Nazir Malhi, Sep 2011.

NLI Mess at Bunji near Gilgit. Bunji is a small village on the bank of River Indus between Jaglot and Raikot about 50 Kms from Gilgit. Photo by Ansar Dani.

Karakoram Highway (KKH) Passig Through Hunza Valley.Rakaposhi peak is visible in the background. The Hunza Valley, situated to the north of the Hunza River, at an elevation of 8,200 feet (2,500 m) is located in the Gilgit–Baltistan province. Aliabad is the main town of Hunza Valley while Karimabad is a popular tourist spot because of the awesome view of the surrounding high mountains (Rakaposhi, Ghenta Peak, Hunza Peak, Passu Peak, Diran Peak, Bublimotin Peak (Ladyfinger Peak), Ultar Sar, Bojahagur Duanasir II and Ghenta Peak).

Mighty Rakaposhi. Photo by Hassan Nazir Malhi. Rakaposhi, the majestic mountain, known as “Snow Covered” in the local language, lies in the Karakoram mountain Range. It is situated in the Nagar Valley, 100 km north of Gilgit in the the Gilgit–Baltistan province. Rakaposhi is also known as Dumani (“Mother of Mist”). At 25,551 feet (7,788 m), Rakaposhi is the 12th highest mountain in Pakistan.

Rakaposhi was first climbed in 1958 by Mike Banks and Tom Patey, members of a British-Pakistani expedition, via the Southwest Spur/Ridge route.

Drying Apricots in Hunza. Shakeel Ahmad in his comment dated 31 Oct 2013 has informed that this pic is not of Hunza Valley rather it is Khalti in district Ghizer.

Altit Fort, at the bank of Hunza River, Hunza

Naltar Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan. Naltar is a valley near Gilgit and Hunza in Gilgit–Baltistan Province. Naltar is 40 km (25 miles) from Gilgit. There are ski lifts under the ‘Ski Federation of Pakistan’. There is a Base Camp of PAF at Naltar and Ski Competitions are held there under the supervision of PAF.

K2 Peak. K2, elevation 28,251 ft (8,611m), is the highest mountain in Pakistan and the second-highest mountain in the world, after Mount Everest. K2 lies in the northwestern part of the Karakoram Range. It is more hazardous to reach K2 from the Chinese side; thus, it is mostly climbed from the Pakistani side. An Italian expedition was the first to reach the summit of K2 on 31 July 1954.

Fairy Meadows. Fairy Meadow is a lush green plateau, at 3300 m, at the base of majestic Nanga Parbat (The Killer Mountain). Many people have called it the “Heaven on Earth”. The name Fairy Meadows is part of the legend that Fairies have their heaven on this lush green plateau. Hermann Buhl, the Austrian climber who made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953, named it Fairy Meadows due to its wonderful scenery.

The World’s Second Most Dangerous Trek. It starts from Raikot and leads to Tatu village near Fairy Meadows and North face of Nanga Parbat.

A Beautiful View of Astore Valley. Astore Valley is located at an altitude of 8,353 feet (2,546 metres) in Gilgit-Baltistan Province. Astore Valley is at the eastern side of Nanga Parbat mountain. The entrance of Astore Valley is located about 60 km southeast of Gilgit. Rama Lake is a famous tourist spot in the region.

A Tree-lined Road, Skardu

Satpara Lake, near Skardu. Satpara Lake, situated at an elevation of 8,650 ft (2,636 meters), is a natural lake near Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan, which supplies water to Skardu Valley.

Shyok River, Khaplu. Khaplu, located at the banks of Shyok River, is the capital of the Ghangche District of Gilgit-Baltistan. It is103 km from Skardu . Khaplu is a base city for onward trekking to Masherbrum and K2 mountains.

Phandar Valley. The beautiful Phandar Valley, located in Gilgit-Baltistan, is almost 7 hours drive from Gilgit. Condition of road is good and one can visit this place by car. The Gilgit River starts from Shandur Lake and passes through Phandar Valley. The Gilgit River is also referred to as the Ghizar River. Gilgit River flows past the town of Gilgit and merges into Indus River.

Deosai Plain, Gilgit-Baltistan

A Bazaar in Skardu, 1920s-30s

Old Photo of Polo Team, Gilgit, 1880s

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